Burlington stops enforcing buffer zone

Two white lines on the sidewalk outside of Planned Parenthood on St. Paul Street in Burlington define the buffer zone on Aug. 22, 2013. The zone prohibits protesters from getting within 35-feet on the organization's front door.(Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS FILE)Buy Photo

The Burlington ordinance was passed in 2012 and established a 35-foot zone around Planned Parenthood and other facilities where no one could gather or demonstrate.

Burlington police stopped enforcing that part of the ordinance on Thursday, City Attorney Eileen Blackwood said, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Massachusetts law violated the First Amendment.

The ordinance also said no one can "knowingly obstruct, detain, hinder, impede, or block" people from entering or exiting a reproductive health care facility. That section of the ordinance remains in effect, Blackwood wrote in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

"While we applaud city for upholding the enforcement of obstructing a person's entry to a reproductive health care facility, we remain deeply frustrated that protestors can continue to harass patients," said Jill Krowinski, vice president of education and Vermont community affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. "We call upon the City Council to make this a top priority since this is a public safety and an access issue."

The city has also dropped a ticket on Tuesday against Molly Jesse, who opposes abortion and who had parked a car with magnetic signs within the 35-foot zone last summer.

Barry Kade, the attorney who represented Jesse as she appealed the ticket, said he made a sign that read "Abortion and speech: safe and legal in Burlington again" and stood at Planned Parenthood in Burlington on Wednesday — "which was my victory dance," Kade said.

The City Council will need to adjust the city ordinance to reflect the Supreme Court decision beginning at its July 14 meeting, Blackwood wrote, and the City Council Ordinance Committee would work through any changes.

Contact April Burbank at 660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank